Archaelogical Sites 

The ancient city of Nora

The marvelous ancient city of Nora, located on the southern coast of Sardinia near Cagliari on the promontory of Cape Pula, in the town of Pula. Its foundation is Phoenician or Nuragic and later Punic, it was the capital of Nora people.

Background of Nora.

IMG_20150826_111116The place where is located the ancient city of Nora is dominated by the beautiful Spanish tower Coltellazzo.

The structures that can be seen today are mostly from the period of the Roman phase, just because part of the Phoenician-Punic tracks were covered or even deleted by the changes made in the city by the Romans.

It should even be the oldest city founded in Sardinia, this would be deduced from the Phoenician stele found therein.

At the time of colonization by the Phoenicians about from the eighth century BC, the city of Nora was equipped with three ports of which today no trace remains and that at the time made it an important commercial center.

As regards this historic period, thanks to the archaeological studies carried out on the site that are still ongoing, there have been discovered: a sacred area and a residential area.

But it is during the Punic age that Nora became a center of economic, political and cultural relevance, reaching a high peak of prosperity.

During this period we can say that it became one of the cities of the southern coast of Sardinia that enjoyed the highest importance, the most important archaeological remains come down to us are: the remains in the sea area and the temple dedicated to Tanit.

IMG_20150826_111121The era of the Roman conquest began in 238 BC, of course most of all the architectural structures unearthed from the archaeological excavations and that are still visible today, date back to the Roman period.

Certainly the city was inhabited until the eighth century AD, while its abandonment began in the fifth century AD.

In fact there were difficulties with the maritime trade due to the occupation by the Vandals.

Following this, the citizens had to withdraw inland for a safety reason.

Place to visit

In the ancient city of Nora, many interesting places can be visited such as:

  • The Aqueduct
  • Several mansions
  • Several places of worship
  • Forum
  • The thermal baths
  • Flooring mosaic
  • Temple of Eshmun-Aesculapius
  • A small and beautiful well-preserved theater of the second century AD

Leave a Reply